30 governers warned: Resign or be removed.

[SirNitram]

Link

WASHINGTON -- The FBI is warning police across the country that an anti-government group's call to remove governors from office could provoke violence. The group called the Guardians of the free Republics wants to "restore America" by peacefully dismantling parts of the government, according to its Web site. It sent letters to governors demanding they leave office or be removed.

Investigators do not see threats of violence in the group's message, but fear the broad call for removal of top state officials could lead others to act out violently. At least two states beefed up security in response.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said he received one of the letters but wasn't overly alarmed.

"We get all kinds of, shall we say, 'interesting' mail, so it's not out of the norm," Pawlenty said Friday. "It got more attention because it went to so many governors."

As of Wednesday, more than 30 governors had received letters saying if they don't leave office within three days they will be removed, according to an internal intelligence note by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. The note was obtained by The Associated Press.

The FBI expects all 50 governors will eventually receive such letters.

Governors whose offices reported getting the letters included Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Chet Culver of Iowa, Dave Heineman of Nebraska, Jim Gibbons of Nevada, Brad Henry of Oklahoma, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Bob McDonnell of Virginia, and Gary Herbert of Utah, where officials stepped up security in response to the letter.

In Nevada, screening machines for visitors and packages were added to the main entrance to the state Capitol as a precaution.

"We're not really overly concerned, but at the same time we don't want to sit back and do nothing and regret it," Deputy Chief of Staff Lynn Hettrick said.

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Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said federal authorities had alerted the governor that such a letter might be coming, and it arrived Monday. Boyd, who described the letter as "non-threatening," said it was opened by a staffer and immediately turned over to the Michigan State Police.

Jindal's office confirmed that the governor had received one of the letters and directed questions to the Louisiana State Police.

"They called us as they do for any letter that's out of the norm," said Lt. Doug Cain, a state police spokesman. He declined to provide specifics about the letter, but said, "not knowing the group and the information contained in the letter warranted state police to review it."

The FBI warning comes at a time of heightened attention to far-right extremist groups after the arrest of nine Christian militia members last weekend accused of plotting violence.

In explaining the letters sent to the governors, the intelligence note says officials have no specific knowledge of plans to use violence, but they caution police to be aware in case other individuals interpret the letters "as a justification for violence or other criminal actions."

The FBI associated the letter with "sovereign citizens," most of whom believe they are free from all duties of a U.S. citizen, like paying taxes or needing a government license to drive. A small number of these people are armed and resort to violence, according to the intelligence report.

Last weekend, the FBI conducted raids on suspected members of a Christian militia in the Midwest that was allegedly planning to kill police officers. In the past year, federal agents have seen an increase in "chatter" from an array of domestic extremist groups, which can include radical self-styled militias, white separatists or extreme civil libertarians and sovereign citizens.

Extreme civil libertarians? Really? I don't see any extremists for the 1st, 3rd, 4th, etc amendments. Now, the 2nd...

[The Minx]

Why do these idiots have to hijack the "libertarian" label? <sigh>

[Dark Silver]

Honestly....I wouldn't mind Jindel stepping down...

he's been nothing but a Republican PITA since the '08 elections, and has been doing his standard republican budget slashing for everything not related to stuff he has a personal interest in.

Hell, he recently cut big chunks of the University funding from the State Budgets, while saying "Higher Education is important".

But this? yeah..this isn't so well.

[SirNitram]

Read their website for a bit. It's basically alot of doublespeak and buzzwording into saying 'We plan to overthrow the US Government, all amendments since the 12th(And many, many of them before that), the judicial system, the basic economic system since barter, the concepts of legalized citizenship, taxes, marriages, deeds of ownership, loans.

They will replace this all with military rule and Bibilical Law. They explicitly label the people who don't believe we need to tear it all down as 'The Enemy', and imagine they will infiltrate and alter society back to their magic rainbow concept without notice, alarm, or excitement.

[Dark Silver]

....really now?

Well, it's certainly another buncha of whack-o-loons.

Guess we'll have to wait and see what occurs.

[rhoenix]

....really now?

Well, it's certainly another buncha of whack-o-loons.

Guess we'll have to wait and see what occurs.

You know, whenever I hear about all these ANGREE MILISHUS angry about GUBMINT TAKOEVRS, I think immediately of this guy:



I get that many of them are gibbering away in fear of things that they routinely vote for anyway when someone with an (R) next to their name suggests them.

Even so, seeing most popular media do their best to illustrate our current President as some sneaky evil OUTSIDER bringing in his evil OUTSIDER ideas, and seeing that it actually works is another thing altogether.

I've quit having discussions about politics with my friends. The last time it happened, I heard about how ACORN or somebody was going to sneak out to everyone's house in the middle of the night and install GPS systems, and if you tried to remove them the evil government gestapo would come to take you away. JUST LIKE IN IRAN, he said.

People have become more attached to the ideas of things than the things themselves, it seems, and then they become a marketable commodity as a result.

[frigidmagi]

Considering they are demanding a number of Republican Governors step down, something tells me they don't vote at all.

[LadyTevar]

The WV governor got his last night. We're not that worried about it.

[Hotfoot]

I suspect shots may be fired over this, and it won't end well for the people that sent the letters.

[General Havoc]

Hell, I'd vote half the governors in the country out if you gave me a referendum to do so, but these guys are pretty much the trench-coat mafia of American politics. Flush em out and let them whine about the evils of the 14th amendment to a judge.

Preferably a black judge.